Gully erosion has ravaged large parts of Akai Effa community in Calabar Municipality, destroying fish farms, poultry farms and other investments worth over N100 million and threatening over 200 houses.

Village Head of Akai Effa, HRH Henrietta Effa-Akpere, raised the alarm Tuesday after leading community elders on an assessment visit to two critical erosion sites now posing serious danger to residents.

She said the problem started over five years ago as small gully fingers but has now widened into deep craters after recent heavy downpour, cutting off access roads and swallowing farmlands.

According to the monarch, the community had reported the matter to Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP, years ago, and a team came for inspection but never returned for remediation.

“It has been there, we have been reporting, even right from when NEWMAP was there. We reported, they came here and did inspection. It has taken over four years, or five years that gully fingers began. Unknown to us that heavy rainfall was going to aggravate matter,” she said.

She disclosed that heavy rainfall three weeks ago wiped out entire fish ponds and poultry farms belonging to residents including Surilaco Farms and Dr. Henry Onwe, with losses estimated at over N100 million.

“Some people that have fish and poultry farms lost their fishes due to heavy rainfall. Rain wiped all their produce that worth over N100 millions,” she said.

The monarch said many victims now have no food or shelter as erosion has entered their homes and forced them to abandon their houses.

“As I speak, a lot of victims have nothing to eat or where to stay because erosion has threatened their homes,” she lamented.

She appealed to the Federal Government, Cross River State Government, and relevant ecological agencies to urgently intervene before lives are lost.

“My cry is that federal government should join hands with state government, so that they can rescue these people. Because anytime, if rain continues like that, many lives may go,” she warned.

She also called on member representing Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Management, Rt. Hon. Joseph Bassey, to return home and assist the community.

“The reps member Joseph Bassey, otherwise known as ‘Papa’ is my son. He is living in this community. He knows most of those problems. I am using this medium to appeal to him to come back home. That his home is on fire and he should come and help Akai Effa,” she appealed.

Residents who spoke to our reporter said if urgent palliative work is not done before peak of rains, the community may be cut off completely and houses may collapse into gully.

They called on the Ecological Fund Office, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Cross River State Emergency Management Agency and Ministry of Environment to undertake immediate assessment and begin remediation works.